Why Ikea might be the real star of the Celebrity Big Brother house

CBB is back and the famous house has been given a surprisingly sophisticated makeover, with plenty of pieces from the Swedish homeware giant

Love it or loathe it, you can’t fail to have noticed that Celebrity Big Brother is back on our screens. And while we’re mildly excited by the roster of housemates – Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding living with Barry from Eastenders is surely a sitcom in the making – it’s the house itself that’s the star in our eyes.

Since the early days of Davina McCall, the interiors have got brasher and brighter with every series. Until now. Gone are the tacky themes and migraine-inducing carpets and in come calming blue walls, comfy neutral sofas and chic French-style beds. The overall effect is classic, muted and – whisper it – really quite tasteful.

The famous living room has plump pale-grey sofas where the housemates can cuddle up/conspire against each other come eviction night. The chic copper-frames coffee tables and light fittings add glamour, while burnt orange cushions perk up the otherwise neutral palette.

Even the bathroom – the site of so much Big Brother drama over the years – has been reinvented as a restful sanctuary. Check out those baskets of fresh towels, soft lighting, rustic wood wall coverings. And do we spy a hair salon back there?

We hope you like your new home celebrities – just promise us you won’t trash the place, will you?